The incident was part of what police called a "very violent and brutal attack" in the home, Shearer said.

Once the phone went dead, Bagshaw's mother contacted a neighbor as well as police. Officers called to do a welfare check at the residence and discovered the teenager dead inside the home, according to a police watch log.

It was unclear whether the attacker was waiting inside the home before Bagshaw's arrival. Police are not yet announcing Bagshaw's official cause of death, according to Shearer.

Authorities identified Shaun French, 24, as a suspect in Bagshaw's killing. He was taken into custody on Wednesday.

French was known to the family, Shearer said. He also has an active felony warrant out for three counts of unlawful sexual acts with a minor, stemming from previous contact with the victim, police said.

One of the reasons the felony warrant was obtained was to help facilitate French's extradition back to Utah in the event he was apprehended out-of-state, according to Shearer.